Chilly Nashville: Take a trip to the tropics (Photos)

For springtime, it sure is pretty cold in Middle Tennessee. But folks in the Nashville area have a great option. Local musician, singer and songwriter Mike Broward (touted by Nashville's Gary Allen to be The Nashville Underground Jam’s own Jimmy Buffett) recently released another Trop-Rock offering titled “Island Getaway”. Listeners can take that late-winter/early-spring visit to the islands without leaving Music City.

For years, Mike has been one of the more talented guitarists to attend the various incarnations of the Play It Again Jam. Other guitarists’ ears always perked up whenever he took a solo, and now this latest CD offers the rest of the world an opportunity to hear his expertise in brilliant clarity. In short, the CD—engineered at Off The Row Studios, in Franklin, TN—is even more clean and professional than Broward’s earlier offering “Margaritas and Moonshine”, and that’s saying a lot.

Mike avoids sameness and repetition, touching on every style from Trop-Rock to The Blues. His talent of playing his guitar with tasteful articulation is mirrored by the execution of his own lyrics. He is one singer/songwriter whose lyrics come thru clear as a bell.

"All the best stories are but one story in reality - the story of escape. It is the only thing, which interests us all and at all times, how to escape. "- A. C. Benson

"I sell escapism." - Jimmy Buffett

Mike Broward's latest CD, Island Getaway, is founded along these guiding lines. Centered in the theme of escape and the tropics, this album weaves it's way through everyday mundane experience of the job and boss and a way to feel good about them, to the sheer joy of getting away to a more relaxed, laid back lifestyle.

There is a longing for the tropics and a need to lose one's self, expressed in a spicy stew of rock, blues, and pure Trop-Rock escapism.

From the opening track," Little Miss Sunshine", a bright island ode to love-at-first-sight, to the single entertainers eternal question of what to do next in "What Would Jimmy Do?” this collection maintains a balance of energy, rocking tempos and an absolutely fun, positive vibe.

Recorded with the "A" list of studio session players in one of Nashville's best-kept secrets, Off The Row Studios, this work comes to life with stellar musicianship and wonderful production.

Starting next month, Mike will be touring from one corner of the US to the next; from Seattle to Key West and many points in between. There is, however, a credible rumor that he is seriously planning the creation of a four-piece band in Nashville, to grace those of us in Music City with a live-band version of his personal blend of good-time sounds. Stay tuned to this channel for updates.

You can also contact Mike, learn more about him, view his photos and videos, check his itinerary for the coming months or listen to tracks from Island Getaway by going to musicmike.net.

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Born in Chicago to a musical family, Ken began playing rock and roll in 1956 at nine years old. Creative writing, composing, performing and recording quickly became lifelong habits. He now calls Nashville his home.